Filter element



Dec. Z8, 1943. E. c. WALKER Erm.

FILTER ELEMENT Filed Sept. 27, .1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 awww.) H

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Em?, c. Jaz/aw '2/4/ FQSM gaa/ E. C. WALKER ETAL Dec. 28, 1943.

' FILTER ELEMENT Filed Sept. 27, 1958 Sheets-Sheet 2 I ...n 7 ax vk. a.

'Patented nee. 2s, 1943l FILTER ELEMENT Earl c. walker, chicago, and Foster' Buck, Line, Ill., asslgnors to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application September 27, 1938, Serial No. 231,954

(CL 21o-178) 6 Claims.

` This invention relates to lters and'particularly to oil filters for use in connection with an automotive internal combustion engine.

Attempts have been made to use replaceable nlters made lof paper or similar material which- Ycould be cheaply made whereby they could be discarded and replaced at frequent intervals. Dliiiculties have been encountered, however, which have not been solved by elements satisfactory to function in a satisfactory manner for the desired length of time.

The object of the present invention is to provide a i'llter of molded material such, for example, as ilber used in iilter paper construction of a design satisfactory for use Ain a filter of the automotive type.

Another object is to provide such a filter having an extensive area in a relatively small casing whereby oil may be filtered at a sufcient rate and whereby the life of the iilter is suicient to meet requirements.

Another object is to provide a filter of relatively thin fibrous` composition which is so constructed that it is self-supporting to resist a substantial ltration pressure differential.

Another object is to provide a filter 'of a folded design having an extensive area shaped to be removed from a casing with the filtered sludge contained entirely within the filter element whereby it can be removed for disposal without subsequent cleaning of the lter casing and Without contamination of the oil in the system. A

Another object l'is to provide a filter element with integral flange to form a sealing gasket as well as a support for said filter element.

These and other objects which will be apparent from the detailed description -to follow are attained by the construction such as shown in the drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross sectional view showing a casing in which an element of the cylindrical type is mounted;

Figure 2 is a partial plan view and partial section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure'l;

Figure 3 is an elevation, on a reduced scale, showing the removal of a filter element from its casing;

Figure 4 is an enlarged View of a portion of the element near one of the folds to show the spacing projections and the path o. the oil during nltration;

Figure 5 is an elevation of an inside Toughened wall portion of the filter element;

Figure 6 is a vertical section showing another type of element in which spacing material is positioned between the wall of the element and the casing wall and between adjacent walls of the filter element;

Figure 7 is a partial section and partial plan view taken on the line 6--6 of Figure 5; and,

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional view of one.

o! the connected double walls of the lter element.

Referring to Figure l, an open top cylindrical casing I is provided with an outlet II at the bottom and an outwardly extending flange I2,

at the top. The casing has a cylindrical interior wall I3 and a flat bottom wall I4, an outlet conduit I communicating with the bottom wall at the center thereof. A filter element A is shaped to tit in the casing I0 with an outer cylindrical wall I6 lying closely adjacent the wallv I3. A danse I1 integrally formed with the wall I6 is adapted to extend outwardly over the flange I2. A cover I8v having an outwardly extending ange I9 mating with the flange I2 forms a. closure for the casing. An inlet in the cover I8 provides means for delivering oil to be filtered under pressure to the casing II).

As illustrated in the drawings, the element A vincludestwo upwardly extending double cylindrical wall portions 2| and 24 integrally con- 'nected at the top and integrally connected to annular bottom portions 25, 2B and a circular bottom'portion 21. It is to be understood that any number of the vertically extending double Vwall portions 2| and 24 may be utilized. A

screen 28 is shown resting on the bottom 26 of the casing. This screen is positioned to support the circular portion 21 against oil pressure within the casing during ltration and to provide a fiow passage for filtered oil from the double wall portions 2| and from the casing wall.

The filter element A may be constructed of any brous material having a surface which is corrugated, Toughened, or otherwise of a nature to allow oil to pass between two adjacent layers or between a layer and a wall of the casing. As illustrated on an enlarged scale in Figures 4 and 5, the material of the element is shown as being provided withspacing means formed as a plurality of small corrugations to provide space for and to enhance the flow of filtered fuel downwardly between the contacting walls. The concentric upstanding double wall portions 2| and 26 are spaced from the casing Wall portion and from each other to provide annular spaces suiiicient to hold an amount of sludge, slime, and other ltered particles which accumulate .during normal life of the iilter. To illustrate the depositing of material filtered out during operation, sludge 29 has been indicated along the interior wall of the filter element.

When the filter element has reached the end of its effective life or when the number of hours of filtration has been reached after which a change is to be made, the top I8 of the casing is removed and the filter element A is taken from the casing by grasping the flange I1 around the edge as illustrated in Figure 3. Said ange is not coated with material filtered out during operation so that the entire element containing the filtered-out material may be removed en masse and discarded without contacting or disturbing the sludge and without any required cleaning or any possibility of contaminating the fibrous element without any dangery of rupturing the element which would allow impurities to pass therethrough and practically render the filter inoperative.

A modified form of element is shown in Figures 6, '7, and 8. The casing is identical With the form previously described and the same reference characters are utilized both for the casing and for the filter element and its different portions. In this form, the outer wall I6 of the element which lies adjacent the wall I3 of the casing is supported by a screen or perforated element 30 which fits against the wall of the casing and against the bottom III. A fiange 3| on the screen extends outwardly partially over the flange I'I of the casing. The element is removed the same as illustrated in Figure 3, the screen 30 being simultaneously removed.

In this form the cylindrical and concentric double walls 2| and 2li` are proximately located and spaced apart. Packing material 32 is located between the adjacent walls. The packing material is also positioned between the annular bottom portions 25 and 26 and the central portion 21 and the bottom portion of the screen 30. It is preferred to use loose porous resilient compressible material whereby the double walls of the element transmit'pressure through the intermediacy of the packing material one against the other. VBy this construction, a thin resilient flexible filter element may be utilized which will withstand a substantial oil pressure. The porous packingmaterial may be impregnated or mixed with suitable chemicals to counteract acidity of the oil or to accomplish other desired results.

It will be understood that applicants have shown and described only certain modifications and embodiments of their improved filter elements, and that they claim as their invention all shapes, arrangements and materials covered by the appended claims. l

What is claimed is:

l. An oil filter comprising a, .casing open at one end, a one-piece filter element mounted in the casing, said element having a flange fitted over the open end of the casing and a substantially cylindrical wall portion lying adjacent the casing wall and adapted to be supported by said wall when oil under pressure is supplied to the casing, said element also including portions lying adjacent the closed end of the casing and upwardly extending contacting cylindrical double wall portions connected to the bottom portions, whereby the double wall portions resist oil pressure one against the other, an outlet from the closed end of the casing, and a cover for the casing provided with an inlet.

2. A liquid filter comprising a casing having an inlet and an outlet, a flexible fibrous filter element mounted in said casing, and means for securing the marginal edges of said element to the casing between the inlet and the outlet, a portion of said element consisting of contacting walls, said walls having roughened faces abutting each other and projecting towards the inlet side of the filter with the uid from the inlet being delivered against the non-contacting surfaces of the walls, said walls having suficient stiffness to maintain them in position adjacent to one another when no pressure is applied thereagainst, the contacting relationship of the walls being provided to withstand pressure exerted at the inlet side of the filter `element against the non-contacting surfaces thereof and to provide spaces for filtered liquid now between the walls at the outlet lside of the lter element. 3. A liquid filter comprising a casing having an inlet and an outlet, a filter element mounted as a partition between the inlet and outlet in said casing, means for securing the marginal edges of said element to the casing, a portion of said element consisting of two flexible Walls having adjacent faces in contact with each other, said walls projecting into the inlet side of .the casing with the non-contacting walls being subjected to the inlet fluid whereby said wall structure serves to resist inlet pressure exerted against the.

outer non-contacting faces thereof, means for supplying liquid under pressure simultaneously against the non-contacting faces, and means withdrawing liquid passing through and between the contacting walls.

4. A liquid filter element adapted to be mounted in a, casing provided with means for delivering liquid under pressure to be filtered thereto and with outlet means for removing filtered Vliquid therefrom, said element being formed of relatively thin, flexible sheet material and including edge portions adapted to be secured in a fluid-tight mannerto the casing to thereby form a partition between the means for delivering and the means for removing liquid, a portion of said element being formed as double contacting walls, said element having suflicient stiffness to maintain said walls in position adjacent to one another when no fluid pressure is being applied, said element being arranged in the casing with the non-contacting portions of said walls being subjected to the uid under pressure whereby said walls are self-resisting against the fluid pressure by abutment one against the other, the contacting walls being in communication with the means for removing liquid whereby filtered liquid passing through and between the contacting surfaces of the walls escapes to the liquid-removing side of the element.

5. A liquid filter element adapted to be mounted in a casing provided with inlet means for delivering liquid to be filtered thereto and outlet means for removing filtered liquid therefrom, said element being formed of relatively thin, molded, paper-like, fibrous sheet material, a portion of said element consisting of double contacting walls supported throughout their contacting portions only bythe sheet material, said contacting walls projecting toward the inlet means side of the casing with the inlet uid .pressure acting against the non-contacting portions of the walls whereby pressure of uid to be ltered on the outside of said walls is resisted by one wall against the other to balance the pressure, said element including a portion adapted to be secured in a iiuid-tight manner to the casing between the inlet and outlet means, the contacting walls being roughened to facilitate the iiow therebetween and to the outlet side of the element of liquid ltered through the walls.

' 61A liquid lter element adapted tobe mounted as a partition b'etween the inlet and outlet in a casing provided with means for delivering liquid to be filtered thereto and means for removing ltered liquid therefrom, said element consisting entirely of one 'piece of relatively thin, fibrous sheet material, a portion of said element consistingof double contacting walls, said portion of the element projecting toward the inlet to the casing and being subjected to the inlet liquid acting against the non-contacting surfaces of the wa1ls.

EARL C. WALKER.

FOSTER BUCK. 

